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david…I am sorry to disagree…an I am the strogest supporter of smaller government there is…but having said that Let’s stop all the spending on war and buying our way into every country we can. The largest U.S. Enbassy now under way to be built (largest and most expensive) is located in Bagdad. Scott would not let me post this as a new topic as he said everyone already knows about this, but this is where we do Not need to spend our money. This is however a great place to show exactly how stupid and wastfull this country has become. We need to spend it at home protecting us from our own starving people, education, and others trying to pass things like this off to us.
Terry From TexasThe latest news is, China is rejecting some U.S. goods, (raisins and supplements etc.), bcause they do not meet their high standards. They are destroying or sending them back. Now they are trying to get even with us for the pet food, toothpaste, debacle.
So the toothpaste is labeled with a skull and crossbones??? How would I know it was poisoned until it was too late. It’s why I bring 3 or 4 tubes of Tom’s of Main with me on every trip. I’m stockpiling the stuff. Sorry, but allowing any government to distribute tainted and contaminated products really rankles my ire. I like smaller gov’t too, but not at my peril.
That’s rich coming from China. High standards? Yeah, right! The world and its idiots never cease to amaze me.
I really don’t think government is getting smaller. It is just finding new ways to grow. It would seem to me we are abdicating our responsibility by privatizing too many parts of governmental control and thinking businesses will self regulate. It just doesn’t happen when there are huge sums of money at stake. The FDA should have been all over this toothpaste and dog food problem, and cut off all imports until we can be assured of the safety of these things. The issue I have with this is the fact there are no consequences for these fatal actions. Where are the leaders we have elected to oversee the protection of us citizens?
The problem with just not buying the toothpaste or dog food is, by the time you figure it out, people and pets are dead. Every item we import should be brand checked and if there is a problem, recall it and do not take in any other products from that manufacturer, fine them, and if necessary, take it to the Hague if you cannot get satisfaction in the offending country’s or our own legal system.
Countries that allow this to happen continually should be restricted from trading with us. You have to hit them in the pockets to make them realize we are not going to tolerate this.
We have enough problem with our own food supply, with 40,000 pound of beef being recalled in the past few days. What is it going to take for us to wake up? Food is one of the most essential things to living beings. We can’t allow our own, or imported foodstuffs, to be contaminated.
The other question nobody seems to know the answer to, is how did this contaminant get into the products in the first place. Was it an accident, intentional, or did they think it wasn’t that bad and no one notice? In the case of the dog food, I remember reading something about protein enhancement. In the toothpaste, the only thing I can think of is that glycol ethylene was used to sweeten the taste. Glycol ethylene in automobile coolant is dangerous to dogs, and they like it because it is sweet… Maybe Costa Rica can sell them some sugar to use next time.I’m trying to figure out how poisoned toothpaste equates to smaller government. For the life of me, I cannot connect the dots on this one. It would be one thing if we KNEW which toothpaste was poisoned, then we could make an informed choice and not buy the one that will kill us from brushing our teeth. Instead the information is withheld, so it’s like playing russian roulette. Maybe you’ll die one morning with a toothbrush in your mouth, or maybe you won’t. Obviously whatever company(s) who are guilty of doing this are operating with impunity, much like Big Pharma here in the States.
I think he was equating smaller government being what all of us wanted, and this is what we get. Therefore less government inspectors to do the job of stopping this garbage from getting in the system. But I shouldn’t speak for someone else.
I’m a smaller government guy when it comes to personal liberties. At least the liberties that are not destructive towards others.
When it comes to doing the right thing, and protecting our country and its citizens, I’m up there with the best of them on regulations and government inspectors. I pay enough tax dollars to be able to at least drink the water, eat the food, and expect my kids to have the same, without having to research the companies that provide these goods and services.
If they want me to do it, they can give me back my hard earned money and I will be responsible for my own family.
In my community we have public water. In fact we are our own water district. Every year, by law, the water is tested and we get a full report. Until about 14 years ago, we had a rinky dink water supplier and they threw chemicals in the supply when they felt like it and in strange quantities. Sometimes the water smelled like fish chowder, and other times you thought you were at the town pool. When we moved here, we were warned not to drink the tap water, just to use bottled. The governor of our state mandated certain water quality for any public system, and we had to upgrade at a cost of about $2 million for about 250 homes. I was a bit more than ticked off at the prospect of paying over $1,000 a year for my water, but we can drink it and it doesn’t smell. The surrounding areas have wells, and some are polluted. So I can say government worked in this case, and I’m glad it did. So now I am still ticked at paying the now about $1,200 a year for water, but I sleep at night.
Government, when it works, is a marvelous thing. When it doesn’t it can be a nightmare. There is some sort of balance that we still have to figure out.
In the meantime, it is incumbent upon us to do whatever we can to make officials aware of our dissatisfaction with what is going on, and to let them know at the polls next election.Now that I’ve had my rant, anyone else care to join in?
Maravilla and Alfred, in the “smaller is always best” government model, it is your pet’s kidneys and yours that are the proving ground for the products you use. The thinking goes, “If you don’t like the results (the kidney failure, the carcinogenic and mutagenic changes, etc), don’t use the product. Eventually it will disappear from the market due to enough dissatisfied users avoiding it.” Of course, none of this addresses your need for a plot in the pet cemetary or your thrice-weekly dialysis while you wait (and pray) for a kidney.
By the way, Terry, in your zeal for smaller government, please stop driving on the public roads (all built by government), and the next time somebody assaults you, don’t call 911.
How about a balanced government that operates efficiently and in the best interests of the people? Because I don’t think it is necessarily the size that matters (in this case) but the quality. China has quite a massive government, but quality when it comes to serving it’s people…? Since I usually opt for “alternative” meds when ill, many are made in China…I avoid those as there have been many reports that they can be contaminated with all sorts of stuff. Instead I purchase the same formulas which are made here in the USA. I must say I am careful/wary of buying food products that are canned etc..that come from places like India or Thailand. Not to pick on these two countries I love them both, but am cautious.
One more thought; The US government has to tread very lightly when it comes to China…never mind hit her in the pocket book, it’s quite the opposite considering the amount of dollars in China and all the US government paper China buys from us. The US makes deals with the “devil” all the time. This always makes me think about how silly it is we can’t fly to Cuba, but China- sell us your rotten, poisoned products and we’ll sell you another billion in T-Bill’s? But can you really blame the entire Chinese gov.? It can hardly be expected to keep tabs on 1 billion people and no matter how big our government gets it simply can not inspect every product shipped in…I think like only 10% of all goods entering are actually inspected to some degree. What bothers me is that it seems China or the US would rather blame one another etc.. than take responsibility for a tragedy that has killed a number of people, and caused so much pain to so many family’s.
Edited on Jun 10, 2007 07:00
$1200 a year just for WATER?????? Carumba! One of the reasons I never left Colorado before this was because I have my own well, and there is no industry or farming above our water supply, which comes directly from a 14,000 ft mountain and is filtered by all that rock and sand. We have some of the best water I’ve ever tasted. I refuse to drink from any municipal water supply, and if we go on a road trip, we take our own water with us. The county has repeatedly tried to get us to hook up to city water, but I refuse to drink anything that has chlorine or fluoride in it, because even the smallest amounts of water containing those two things will make me violently ill. I’m equally paranoid about my food supply, so I pay premium prices for everything I eat because I only do organic anything, and rarely if never anything out of a can or package of any kind. Lotus is right — only 10% of incoming food from Central, South America, and Asia is inspected. Who knows what kind of fertilizer and pesticides they use in countries with no regulatory agency. And even then. . .you cannot be sure of our homegrown food supply either after that spinach meltdown last summer. Guess I should go buy MORE seeds to take to CR with me next month! I have a 20 x 40 foot area that is going to be my garden there. Guess I’d better get it going sooner rather than later.
David, While I believe smaller government in certain areas to be a great thing, it is absolutely necessary to have a strong, honest and responsive government to keep us protected and keep an orderly nation. It is when government wastes the resources of its citizenry, I want to see it brought under control. The pork barrel spending, misappropriation of funds and special interest projects that are done when no one is looking, is an example of a government that is too large to be reflective of the people’s wishes, and out of control. The government, as you well know, is supposed to be the servant of the people. When it serves it self, then there is something wrong.
When government agencies grow too large, they are subject to corruption, and become self perpetuating, even when the problem they were created for ceases to exist. Let’s face it, nobody wants to lose their job. I remember in the 80’s there were programs in place that Reagan stopped funding, that were just nothing more than make work programs. One in particular in the Bronx, NY was funded for painting trash receptacles on the street corners with artwork in an effort to beautify the city. They had to maintain an office and pay employees to do these waste money projects. And they told me most of the day was spent sitting idle in the office. The trash baskets were painted silver for 50 years and never had anyone complained. When they stopped being funded, they were upset. I can understand them being upset over losing their jobs, but it was created as a useless work program, in my opinion. The program was an example of the politicians bringing home the bacon for their state and district.
On the other hand, we need the interstate highway system to be governmentally run, not sold off to a private concessionaire. We need to keep Social Security under governmental control. We need our defense and corps of engineers to be federally funded.
So don’t think I want to have a smaller government just to reap the benefits by having to take my dog to the veterinarian. I just want it to run as it was intended.
It was said, “We get the government we deserve,” and I believe, when you sit down and fully think that through, it is absolutely true.Yup, $1200 a year for water. Compared to what was coming out of the tap before the new water system, I’d have to say it is the only thing I feel a little better about paying too much for. The wells around here are suspect, and there are, as I’ve said before, many that are polluted. There are many that have high levels of bacteria from septic systems or chemicals from fertilizers. The worst is the dry cleaning fluid drums that were buried by and illegal carter and is on the “Superfund” for cleanup and has still not been done.The road had to be diverted when put in because it would have created an evironmental disaster if they ruptured them. The fluid is leaking into the aquifer here now, and of course, 40 years later, it is still there.
So I drink the water with the chlorine, no flouride in it, and go on about my life.Lotus, Alfred, et al, I’m completely with you in the matter of smaller, more responsive and more effective (different from efficient) government. The same goes for private bureaucracies, too, however. I spent a couple of years in the Navy, twenty-seven in Michigan state government, and a year each at Circuit City and Home Depot. Lemme tell ya, after the latter two, government has nothing to be ashamed of. And most of that time was spent in Michigan, the home of America’s auto industry. The stories I could tell you about GM would lighten your hair three shades.
The conclusions I’ve drawn are basically two. First, any bureaucracy, military, governmental or private sector becomes ineffective, inefficient and non-responsive in direct proportion to its size. The bigger the worse. It has nothing to do with who’s running the store.
The second conclusion is that in a modern, technologically sophisticated environment, there are many, many things which individuals cannot do for themselves and which, if not done, have dire consequences indeed.
Maravilla says fluoride and chlorine make her sick. They don’t bother me, but arsenic, organophosphates, lead, and a host of other contaminants do. And I know that neither she nor I nor any of the rest of our readers are qualified or equipped either to set our own safety standards or to assess the levels of (whatever) in our drinking water. Maravilla may be drinking well water, but I’ll bet (1)it hasn’t been tested lately and (2)she’s not knowledgeable enough to make the scientific judgement about the test results. Multiply that dilemma by the thousands of things we’re all exposed to and which we need to be exposed to every day and the job becomes clearly one we can only tackle collectively (governmentally).
Maravilla, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you have had your water assayed, but I’ll bet you haven’t tested your aspirin, gasoline, the wire in your walls, the chemical makeup of the goop that holds your plumbing pipes together, the pipes themselves, the fireproofing in your grandchildren’s pajamas, the dog’s food, etc, etc, etc. Nor are you qualified to do so. Nor am I. You, I, we all need help and protection which is, as a practical matter, only available from one venue.
David, I agree with you. We have only one means of oversight in protecting us. Good, or bad, that happens to be the US government. I hope I did not impugn your reputation as a public worker, that was not my intention. I have many friends, and relatives in the public sector, and they do a fine job, but also see the problems, as you did, with what can happen when bureaucrats run the show in a too large entity.
We all are so busy with our own lives dealing with working and families we don’t have much time left to fully protect ourselves from the things that can harm us. This is where the government should excel. The care and concern of us citizens is what should be uppermost in the minds of public employees. For the most part, I’m sure it is. The system can sometimes, because of politics and other influences, get bogged down and become inefficient, or worse yet, negligent.
I, for one, thank you for your public service. It is the good people who stand in the gap, who make the difference for us all.
Maravilla, I also have to thank, for the things she has done as a private citizen in helping to make us aware of some of the dangers of pharmaceuticals. She told us she was responsible, in part, for bringing about the warnings on labels of certain classes of drugs that may lead to teen suicide. This is another example of someone who took their own time to make a positive impact on an otherwise out of control industry.
Sometimes it takes a combination of government and concerned individuals to make this country a better place. My hat is off to all of you who make that sacrifice.
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